BURR RIDGE, IL – The general election is less than a month away on Nov. 3 and will include statewide and local races.
DuPage sheriff
Another big race is for DuPage County sheriff between Democrat Peter Coolidge and Republican Sean Noonan. They are vying to succeed Republican James Mendrick. He decided against seeking a third term, instead unsuccessfully running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
The general election race for sheriff is quieter than the one in the Republican primary. That is when candidate Eddie Moore, the undersheriff, faced controversies such as his handling of a car crash and a bar incident from years before. Noonan defeated him.
Cook County Board
The District 17 Cook County Board race is far from typical, given a controversy that made headlines around the world.
Democrat Elyse Hoffenberg of La Grange faces Republican Liz Gorman of Orland Park. They are vying to replace Republican Seth Morrison, who decided not to run again.
Hoffenberg is the elected clerk for Lyons Township; Gorman is a former County Board member.
Gorman requested a security video from Hoffenberg's office that showed the clerk kissing longtime Democratic power broker Steven Landek, Bridgeview's mayor. Hoffenberg said she told Landek that it was inappropriate.
Gorman said her political opponents tried to extort her regarding the video. Gorman called the allegation defamatory, saying neither she nor her campaign had spoken with Hoffenberg, let alone attempted extortion. Gorman threatened to sue.
Hoffenberg also suggested Christopher Getty, the township's elected supervisor, surveilled her and tipped off others about the footage. Getty denied that.
Congressional race
In his 6th Congressional District, Rep. Sean Casten is expected to cruise to victory over Republican Niki Conforti. He has far outraised her.
Registering to vote
If you're not sure if you're registered to vote, you can check online. To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen who is at least 18 years old — or will be 18 by Election Day — and you must have lived in your precinct for at least 30 days prior to the election.
Online voter registration is available until Oct. 18 on the Illinois Board of Elections website. To register online, residents must have a driver's license or state ID, or a Social Security number.
Even if you miss that deadline, you can take advantage of grace period in-person voter registration at your county clerk's office or permanent early voting locations. You can also register at your polling place on Election Day.
To register in person, you'll need to bring two forms of ID, with at least one showing your current address.
Voting early
DuPage and Cook counties list their early voting sites.
Other races to watch
All Burr Ridge voters will have several statewide contests on their ballots.
Find all of Illinois Patch's 2026 election coverage here.
Voting By Mail
If you want to vote by mail, you must apply online or in person by Oct. 29 through DuPage and Cook counties' election authorities.
Ballots must be postmarked or placed in a dropbox by Election Day, Nov. 3, to count.
Take a look at your sample ballots in DuPage and Cook counties
For full coverage of the 2026 election in Illinois, go here.
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